Massenet* - Cheryl Studer · Nadine Denize · Ben Heppner · Thomas Hampson · José van Dam · Chœur* Et Orchestre Du Capitole De Toulouse*, Michel Plasson - Hérodiade (Box, Album, Sli + 3xCD) (Very Good Plus (VG+))

Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)
Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)

Notes:

Playing Time:	166 min.

Imagine a version of the Salome story in which everybody is nice. Don't laugh: That's what this is. Salome willingly sublimates her passion for St. John the Baptist and closes the opera with her noble suicide. Of the two recent recordings of the opera (the other being under Gergiev), this is the nicer of the two and, for sticklers to French style, the more logical choice. The account of the score is more complete, with lots of ballet music that Francophiles will enjoy and others will find superfluous. Both orchestra and conductor are French. Other than Cheryl Studer (Salome), Ben Heppner (St. John), and Thomas Hampson (Herod)--all of whom sing extremely well--the cast is French and abounds with major voices (such as Jean-Paul Fouchecourt) in minor roles. But the price is an extra disc: This set has three, as opposed to Gergiev's two. Also, one must ask whether a second-tier Massenet opera (which means it's a tad innocuous) is deserving of all the respect that this recording gives. --David Patrick Stearns

Hérodiade is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Paul Milliet and Henri Grémont, based on the novella Hérodias (1877) by Gustave Flaubert. It was first performed at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels on 19 December 1881.
The libretto is a retelling of the story of John the Baptist, Salome, Herod Antipas and Herodias, but is strikingly less psychological and bloody than Richard Strauss's Salome, based on a text by Oscar Wilde. The opera premiered in Brussels because Auguste-Edouard Vaucorbeil, Manager of the Paris Opera house refused to stage the work; "I do like your music," he had said to Massenet, "but as for the libretto, you badly need an author who knows how to build the skeleton of a play." --From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

. DISC 1
1. Introduction
2. Alerte! Levez-Vous! Le Palais Est Ouvert!
3. Encore Une Dispute!
4. Ah! Salome!...Dans Ce Palais Quelle Destinee T'Amene?
5. Il Est Doux, Il Est Bon
6. Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Salut, Ville Fortunee!
7. Elle A Fui Le Palais, Elle A Quitte Ces Lieux
8. Venge-Moi D'Une Supreme Offense!
9. Frappe Donc!
10. Jean! Je Te Revois!
11. Roi, Tu Peux T'Assoupir Sur Ta Couche D'Ivoire
12. Danse Babylonienne
13. Que Ce Philtre Amoureux Dissipe Ton Ennui!
14. Ce Breuvage Pourrait Me Donner Un Tel Reve
15. Que Ce Philtre Amoureux Dissipe Ton Ennui!
16. Voila L'Homme Qui Fait Trembler Tout Un Empire!
17. Parcourant En Ton Nom Les Cites Et La Plaine
18. O Peuple, Le Moment Est Venu De Te Faire Connaitre
19. Vous Qui Tenez Conseil Sur Les Places Publiques
20. A Mon Approche Quel Trouble Fait Detourner Les Yeux?
. DISC 2
1. Dors, O Cite Perverse!
2. Ah! Phanuel!
3. Prelude
4. Herode, A Toi Ces Palmes, A Toi Ces Fleurs!
5. Je Souffre!
6. C'En Est Fait! La Judee Appartient A Tibere!
7. Que M'oses-Tu Dire?
8. Marche Sainte
9. Scene Religieuse: Schemah Israel
10. Danse Sacree
11. Peuple Juif!
12. Homme, Quel Est Ton Nom?
13. J'ai Vecu De Sa Vie Et Mourrai De Sa Mort
14. Frappez Donc, Frappez Les Apotres
. DISC 3
1. Prelude
2. Ne Pouvant Reprimer Les Elans De La Foi
3. Salome! Jean!
4. Romains! Nous Sommes Romains!
5. Les Egytiennes
6. Les Babyloniennes
7. Les Gauloises
8. Les Pheniciennes
9. Finale
10. Porquoi Me Retirer Cette Faveur Supreme?

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Barcode 724355537829

Location : GRCDWB113